On Women’s Day, my husband Frederick sent me a muscular man with a bow tie around his neck. “This is the latest companion robot. Let him keep you company from now on. Vivian is pregnant, so I need to spend more time with her. Stop bothering me.” He spoke impatiently, then turned and left. But I looked at the lifelike robot with a face remarkably similar to my childhood friend Xavier’s, and smiled with delight. That evening, I sent Xavier a message: “You knew my marriage contract expires today and I’m single again, so you came early to pursue me?” “Yes.” Xavier replied to my message. “Eight years of repaying a debt—finally over.” With his sigh, my thoughts drifted back to when I was eighteen. My parents both died suddenly in an accident. I couldn’t handle it at the time. My mental breakdown led to several hospitalizations. Then Grandpa Frederick suddenly appeared, arranged for top doctors, and helped me recover. He had only one request—that I help support his good-for-nothing grandson, Frederick. I agreed. From then on, I began my love-hate relationship with Frederick. He went from initially finding me annoying to showing unnatural care and protection. He would clumsily make me necklaces by hand on my birthday. He would make my favorite macarons during my period. His clumsy love moved my heart. So when he confessed with a blushing face at graduation, I said yes. But everything changed when his first love, Vivian, returned to the country just before our wedding. He denied everything between us, publicly claiming I was just a housekeeper his grandfather hired to take care of him. Grandpa Frederick was so angry he nearly died. As he took his last breath, he held my hand and asked me to marry Frederick for three years and protect him for three more. Today is the last day. I rubbed my temples and stood up to pack my things. But unexpectedly, Frederick came back and brought me a small cake. “Eat it. I remember you like these.” I looked at the mango on the cake and smiled bitterly, shaking my head. He forgot—I’m allergic to mangoes. Vivian is the one who likes mango cake. I tugged at the corner of my mouth and just asked him, “Why did you come back?” He said proudly, “It’s all because Vivian is so kind. She insisted that since today is Women’s Day, I should come back and keep you company.” “See, this is the grace a proper wife should have. You should learn from her.” I froze. Vivian always did this—displayed her magnanimity at inappropriate times. But they both forgot that I’m Frederick’s legitimate wife. Not wanting to say more, I just stared at the clock, quietly spacing out, hoping he’d leave quickly. But Frederick loosened his tie and lay sideways on the sofa, showing no intention of moving. His face full of hopeful fantasies: “I hope Vivian has a girl, just like her—kind and lovely.” Then he looked at me critically: “Look at you—your personality is so unlikable, always controlling people. Nobody wants you.” “And I’ve been thinking about the future too. When the child is born, it needs to be legitimate, so you’ll have to give up your position as Mrs. Frederick.” “Don’t worry, I already talked to Vivian about it. You can stay here afterward to take care of Vivian and the child. After all, Grandpa originally had you take care of me, so you should be quite skilled at being a housekeeper.” As his constant belittling continued, my heart still couldn’t help but ache. Just as I was about to tell him about the contract, the doorbell rang abruptly. Vivian had arrived.
Frederick quickly stood up and carefully helped her inside, constantly instructing: “You should have called me. I would have picked you up.” “The baby didn’t give you trouble on the way, did it?” I watched Vivian, who wasn’t showing much yet, proudly thrusting out her waist and abdomen. I turned to go back to my room. But Vivian spoke with a wronged expression: “Hannah, do you not welcome me?” “Then I’ll just leave.” Before I could say anything, Frederick grabbed my arm forcefully and shouted: “You did that on purpose?! Making Vivian sad.” “Go make soup. Vivian likes the eight-treasure soup you make.” I stood there without moving. Frederick’s face darkened, and he dragged me directly toward the kitchen. “You can come out when it’s done.” “Click”—the door locked. Through the transparent glass, I saw Vivian’s provocative smile and a flash of light in the robot’s eyes. I stood there indifferently for a moment, then started moving. Not just making soup—I fried, sautéed, and stir-fried, preparing a whole table of dishes. Consider it tonight’s farewell dinner. An hour later, when I finished cooking, sweat covering my forehead, Frederick mercifully opened the kitchen door and said: “Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d done this earlier?” Seeing the abundant dishes on the table, satisfaction flashed in his eyes, and he said to me condescendingly: “Alright, bring them out. You can eat at the table with us tonight.” I shook my head, but he grabbed me and forced me into a chair. “Why are you being difficult?!” “This is the only time you’ll eat at the table. From now on, you need to be self-aware of your position as a housekeeper.” Vivian saw me sit down and said sourly: “Hannah, you really care about Frederick. Everything on this table is what he loves to eat.” I paused, quietly picked up food with my chopsticks, and replied, “It’s a habit.” A habit of being good to him, taking care of him, so I reflexively made these dishes while cooking. A trace of emotion flashed in Frederick’s eyes. Just as he was about to say something— Vivian suddenly clutched her stomach and cried out: “Ah! My stomach hurts.” “Hannah, did you put something in the food?” She started crying: “If you have any complaints, take them out on me. Why harm my child?!” I shook my head repeatedly in denial. “No, I didn’t.” Before I could finish, Frederick angrily slapped me hard across the face. “Bitch! I knew you were up to no good!” “Come to the hospital with us. If anything happens to Vivian, I’ll make you pay with your life.” I helplessly followed them. At the hospital, after examination, there were no drug residues found. But Vivian kept crying that her stomach hurt. Finally, the doctor diagnosed that she’d had fetal movement and needed rest. Frederick demanded I stay to take care of her: “You made Vivian unhappy in the first place, so you’re responsible.” “Besides, you’re going to stay as a housekeeper to take care of Vivian and the child anyway. Consider this early practice.” Seeing his self-righteous manner, I laughed in anger and told him directly: “Frederick, our marriage contract has expired. We have no relationship now. I’m leaving, and you have no right to restrict my freedom.” He was stunned by my cold tone. After a moment, he recovered and sneered: “What expired contract? Are you playing hard to get with me? I’m not falling for that.” “Hannah, serve obediently, and I’ll keep you at the Frederick house.” He restrained me in front of Vivian’s hospital bed, instructed me to take good care of her, then kept watching me. I couldn’t find a chance to leave. Until a group of Frederick’s friends arrived.
“Frederick, you really have your wife taking care of your mistress. Impressive.” “Back then, Grandpa Frederick’s small favor got you eight years of Hannah’s devoted care. What a bargain.” “But she doesn’t know her parents’ death wasn’t an accident, does she? It was deliberate, connected to one of your family’s shady companies. After Grandpa Frederick quickly dealt with the company, he discovered Hannah’s talent and extended help. All these years, she’s proven her worth. Grandpa Frederick was truly a businessman—so shrewd.” I froze in the hospital room, quickly covering my mouth to prevent any sound from escaping. Tears kept flowing. The conversation outside the room continued. Frederick said casually: “So what if she knows? An orphan girl—being Mrs. Frederick for three years is already more than she deserves.” “What, Frederick, sounds like you’re planning to divorce her?” “Then I… hehe, honestly, your wife’s figure—curves in all the right places, ass ripe as a peach—I’ve been eyeing her for a while. Can I have a taste?” The air suddenly went silent. After a moment, Frederick replied indifferently: “Whatever.” My clenched fists loosened. I slumped into the chair and closed my eyes. Soon, the hospital room door opened. Frederick and his friends came in. “How are you taking care of Vivian? Sleeping with your eyes closed!” Frederick came in and scolded me first. Then he anxiously checked on Vivian, and seeing everything was fine, breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to say something more to me, I didn’t want to face him anymore and turned to leave. At that moment, his friends stepped forward and surrounded me. One of them looked at me with sticky eyes, constantly moving closer. With nowhere to retreat, I called out to Frederick: “Make them leave.” Frederick was noncommittal, raising his eyebrows and saying: “Weren’t you the one who wanted to leave? I didn’t stop you. I won’t stop my friends either.” “Besides, my friends like you—that’s why they’re keeping you here.” Hearing his shameless words, I gritted my teeth and tried to rush out. But three or four men had me completely surrounded. I had nowhere to retreat. Just as I was about to scream for help, Vivian woke up. Frederick immediately told his friends to stop. “Don’t disturb Vivian’s rest. If you want to fool around, go elsewhere.” I took advantage of the men’s moment of confusion, broke through the encirclement, and left. When I got home and opened the door, I found the lifelike robot had moved to the living room. I remembered clearly putting it in the basement. Just as I was puzzled, the robot extended its hand. “I came to get you.” Touching the warmth of its palm, I knew—Xavier had come. “I saw them bullying you through the robot. I couldn’t stand it, so I flew here.” “I’ll take you away.” I nodded silently, then said: “Wait three more days. I want to give Frederick a big gift before I leave!” Xavier indulged me. That day, he first took me to his local property to settle in. Then, after listening to the truth about my parents, he was equally furious. “So that’s what happened.” “Don’t worry, Hannah. I’ll help collect evidence too.” “And…” He looked at me with heartache: “When your family had that accident, I was abroad and didn’t know, otherwise…” “These years, you’ve suffered.” I smiled and shook my head: “It’s fine. I believe good and evil will always be repaid.” The next day, to make me happy, Xavier took me shopping through all the major jewelry and clothing stores. We accidentally ran into Frederick’s friends. They all contacted Frederick. “Frederick, isn’t this your wife? How is she with a man?” Frederick waved his hand casually: “What man? That’s the lifelike robot I bought for her.” “Hannah will never have another man besides me in this life.” He was drunk, face flushed, tongue thick as he shouted. A second-generation rich kid next to him suddenly looked at the screen and exclaimed: “Is that him?!” “The mysterious Xander family’s grandson they found ten years ago, the current head of the Xander family.” “He’s always been abroad. Why did he come back?” Frederick’s heart trembled. He looked carefully. After a long moment, he said dismissively: “It’s not him. It really is a robot I bought.” “They just have somewhat similar facial features.” “If you don’t believe me, I’ll call Hannah and ask.” The moment he dialed, he paused. It was already 2 AM. At this time, Hannah would be asleep, and she had neurasthenia—she was most afraid of being suddenly awakened. But… Frederick sneered. No matter what time, as long as it was a call from him, she would answer instantly. This was a habit she’d developed over the years. Thinking this, Frederick confidently dialed. But the next second, a cold response came from the phone: “Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service.”
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